Hybrid lashes have become increasingly popular in recent years, offering the best of both worlds: the naturally beautiful look of classic lashes combined with the more dramatic look of volume eyelash extensions. As a favourite lash extension style among many clients, hybrid lashes are an important style for lash technicians to master.
Today, we're taking things back to basics to cover everything there is to know about hybrid lashes, from how they differ to other types of lashes, how to create the perfect hybrid lash set and the different styles you can find so you can achieve stunning, long-lasting results for your clients.
What are hybrid lashes?
Hybrid lashes, as the name suggests, are a combination of two different lash techniques to create a gorgeous, unique look. These two lash techniques are volume lashes, also known as Russian volume, and classic lashes.
Arguably the most common eyelash style choice, classic lashes are popular among clients for their subtle and natural appearance. Classic eyelashes use a ratio of 1:1, in other words, one eyelash extension for each natural eyelash. These lashes are probably the first type you learned to do and tend to be the quickest and cheapest option.
In contrast, volume lashes offer a more dramatic and luxurious look. Using more than one extension per natural lash, volume lashes are created using a volume fan with typically 2 to 8 artificial lashes in each fan. Mega volume lashes, as BELO babes know, can contain up to 18 individual volume lashes per volume fan.
Hybrid lashes, therefore, combine these two techniques for a stunning and unique look. This might mean using half classic lashes and half volume lash fans or a different ratio such as 70/30. Using the volume lashes primarily in the middle and the classic around the edges can open up the eyes, while using volume lashes at the edge and classic in the middle can create a more contoured look. It is important to note, that in a hybrid treatment, lash techs should avoid using volume fans with too many lash fibres as this will not create a seamless blend between volume and classic lash extensions.
How to apply hybrid lashes
Step 1: Prepping the natural eyelash
Before we even worry about applying the lashes, we need to prep the client's natural lash first. It can be tempting to jump straight into applying the lashes to see the glorious, finished look but prepping the natural lash is an essential step to ensuring that you can create the look that you're proud of and the client loves.
To prep the natural eyelash, you'll need to clean the area to ensure the extensions are able to adhere properly. Clean your client’s eyelashes with a gentle Lash Cleanser to help remove all makeup, dirt and oil. Rinse the lashes with a little water and dry to ensure all moisture is removed.
Once the lashes are dry, prep the eye area by taping the bottom lashes down with nichiban tape or use a hydrogel eye pad (or both!) Following this, apply a lash primer with a microbrush to remove any leftover dirt as well as strengthening the adhesive bond between the glue and natural eyelashes, we recommend our Forever Fix primer.
Step 2: Selecting the right lashes
This is the part where you really determine what the hybrid lash set will look like. Always ensure to consult with your client as to their desired look, especially how full and long they want their hybrid set to be.
For example, you can create cute bouncy hybrid looks with shorter lash lengths and bouncy D or DD curls, which also give the illusion of the lash line looking fuller due to the ratio of length to fullness. Or you can create longer, more ethereal looking lashes with longer lash lengths and more relaxed curls, such as C and CC. If your client requests wispy hybrid lashes, be sure to alternate the lengths of your volume and classic lashes to create the feathery look.
You can also use different ratios of each type of lash extensions, creating different looks to help personalise it to each individual client – but more on that later!
Step 3: Applying the lashes
Now onto the good bit – application!
Start by selecting an adhesive which is suitable for your lashing style and mapping out where you will be placing the different lash lengths along the lash line on your tape. This technique is called lash mapping.
Apply lashes in the key areas of the eye to mark out your sections first, this will line up with the markings which you have laid out in your lash map. For example, if you’re going for an open eye look, you may choose to apply your longest lashes first in the centre of the lash line and the tapered lash lengths on either side. In hybrid treatments, you will be more likely to use classic eyelash extensions for this.
Many lash technicians may choose to apply all of the classic lash extensions first, and then fill in with volume fans, but we recommend taking it section by section. This is to ensure a seamless transition between the fans and individual lashes throughout the set. In each section, fill in the gaps between the classic lashes with the Russian lashes to create the texture which is crucial to any hybrid look. The differences in thickness between the classic and russian lashes helps them to still stand out whilst looking seamless.
You may also be interested in: How to Choose the Right Lash Adhesive for You.
Step 4: Finishing touches
In the final stages of a lash set, you will want to go through the set with your isolation tweezer to look for any stickies (lash extensions which have got caught in each other). If you find any, gently pull the lashes apart until the natural lashes are separate. This ensures that the natural growth cycle of the lashes are not interrupted.
To finish off the set, use a lash wand to brush the eyelash extensions, ensuring the set is perfect. Then, use a microbrush to apply a lash sealant to the base of the lashes to ensure retention in the set.
Different hybrid lash ratios
With hybrid lash extensions you can achieve a range of lash looks which bridge the gap between volume and classic lashes. This is achieved by applying different percentages of volume fans and classic extensions as part of the hybrid lash, creating different looks. We recommend consulting with your clients pre-treatment to understand the type of look they want to help you best realise this.
10-20% volume fans
With 10-20% hybrid looks, you want to place a volume fan approximately every 5-10 individual eyelash extensions. In this style, you will want to use less thick fans between 4-6D.
20-40% volume fans
For clients who want a slightly fuller hybrid look, 20-40% volume fans are a great option. For this lash look, you will want to apply volume fans between every 2-5 classic lash extensions. We recommend using around 6-10D for this lash style.
50% hybrid volume
This is the textbook hybrid look, where you alternate volume fans and individual lash extensions. This involves the classic one-to-one combination of volume lashes and classic lashes, and this is the most common style.
It's important to point out that eyelash extensions that have more than 60% volume fans are considered a volume treatment and you should price it as such! This is due to the amount of adhesive that is required and the time it takes to create volume fans is much closer to that of a full volume treatment than a classic treatment.
What are the different hybrid lash styles?
Wispy hybrid lashes
Wispy lashes are known for their elegance, creating a feathery look that really stands out. Wispy lashes are made by using classic lashes which are longer than the volume fans in the set. The difference in lengths between the classic and volume lashes, combined with the two types of eyelash extensions creates an even more unique, and fluffy texture.
Natural hybrid lashes
To achieve a natural hybrid style for your client, you will want to opt for the 10-20% lash ratio. For this style, we recommend picking lashes of all the same length. Natural lashes are much closer being the same length, so if this is the style your client wants it's best to opt for lashes that best replicate this look, whilst providing that extra zhuzh!
Opting for a C curl lash will help to offer this more natural look from the lash extensions, again, closer to what real lashes look like. Anything more and it will start to look more voluminous.
Voluminous hybrid lashes
This is the largest, most dramatic look that you can achieve with a hybrid lash style. To achieve this, it's best to opt for the 40%-50% ratio of volume lashes: classics. You will also want to use a D-DD curl as that will help the lash extensions to look bigger and more bold.
However, it's important to remember that whilst these are more voluminous, they're not volume lashes! These are still hybrid lashes that are using more volume fans to help achieve a larger look, but not as large as if we were to solely apply volume eyelash extensions.
Are Volume Lashes or Hybrid lashes better?
This entirely depends on the look that the client desires. Hybrid eyelash extensions are great for the clients who want a little more volume than classic lashes but not as much as what is offered by volume eyelash extensions. One is not necessarily better than the other, as one client may prefer volume lashes to hybrid eyelash extensions as they like the more dramatic look that is offered by them.
The benefit of hybrid eyelash extensions is that they offer a wide variety of different textures due to the fact that lash techs can apply different ratios of the two types of eyelash extensions, and can apply them in different arrangements. This offers a much wider scope and more room for a really personalised, custom look for the client.
Find our full range or lashes here.
Conclusion: our hybrid lash guide
Hybrid eyelash extensions have certainly become a more popular choice in recent times, and with the variation in possible styles it's clear to see why. We've taken things back to basics here, to give you a complete run-through of what hybrid lashes are, how to create them and the different styles that you can create. The combination of classic lashes alongside volume lashes allows you to really get creative and produce some wonderful, flawless look lashes for your clients.
Share your hybrid looks with us on Instagram or Tik Tok by tagging us @belolash and using the hashtag #belolashhybrids